OpenMelon

A content-creation agent that runs in your terminal.

OpenMelon turns content production into a single terminal session. Each project keeps its characters, references, and generated artifacts on disk; an LLM with tool-use drafts inside that context, anchored to the same character portraits across runs.

npm i -g @e8s/openmelon @e8s/skillplus
cd path/to/your-project
openmelon

First run walks through trust → API key → model → project init. Then you're in the TUI:

openmelon · ai-talks · openrouter:openai/gpt-5.5 · img:openrouter:openai/gpt-5.4-image-2

> Lao Wang grilling lamb skewers at the night market, neon reflections

  ⏺ list_characters({"query":"lao wang"})
    ⎿ [{"slug":"lao-wang","name":"Lao Wang",...}]
  ⏺ get_character({"slug":"lao-wang"})
    ⎿ {"image_paths":["/.../portrait.png"],...}
  ⏺ generate_image({"prompt":"...","reference_images":["/.../portrait.png"]})
    ⎿ {"path":".../draft-1.png","sha256":"..."}

⠋ Streaming response · 0:34 · 1.4k in / 312 out · esc to cancel

Direct prompt vs OpenMelon

Same image model (google/gemini-2.5-flash-image), one shot each. The difference is the prompt path: direct prompting sends the user's intent straight to the image model; OpenMelon expands it through a skillplus package + LLM first.

Intent	Direct prompt	OpenMelon
Grab a bowl of beef noodles after work and write an authentic restaurant-visit post.
A cozy wooden cabin with warm lights, surrounded by a snowy pine forest at dusk.

Install

npm install -g @e8s/openmelon @e8s/skillplus

openmelon is a pure-Node package (requires Node ≥20) — npm install -g is all you need. To run from source:

git clone https://github.com/eight-acres-lab/openmelon && cd openmelon
make build           # installs deps + compiles tui/ → tui/dist
node tui/dist/cli.js # or: make dev  (runs from source via tsx)

Configuration

openmelon (first run) walks through:

1. Trust — confirm the working directory. Trusted paths persist; subdirectories auto-trust.
2. API key — pick provider (OpenRouter / OpenAI / Anthropic), paste key. Stored at ~/.openmelon/credentials.json (mode 0600). Detected env vars are offered for re-use.
3. LLM model — curated preset list, or custom.
4. Image model — curated preset list, custom, or skip.
5. Project init — writes <workdir>/.openmelon/project.json and .gitignore.

Re-run the auth steps with openmelon setup. Override per-project with openmelon project set-key.

TUI commands

Type / inside the TUI to open the command palette:

Command	Action
/skill	Pick a skillplus package for the next message
/model	Switch the LLM model (persists to project.json)
/model-image	Switch the image model
/settings	Bash permission mode
/clear	Forget conversation history
/history	Print the message log
/save <path>	Export the conversation as JSONL
/session	Print the session directory
/exit	Exit

Keys: ↵ submit · ⇧↵ newline · Esc cancel turn · Ctrl+C ×2 quit · ↑/↓ / mouse wheel scroll.

CLI

openmelon init [<id>]                      Set up the current directory as a project
openmelon project list | use | show        Manage / inspect projects
openmelon project set-key | unset-key      Per-project API key overrides
openmelon character add <slug> ...         Project character library
openmelon character list | show | rm
openmelon reference add <slug> ...         Project reference-image library
openmelon reference list | show | rm
openmelon material add <path>              Hash-addressed material pool
openmelon space create <id> ...            Creative continuity spaces
openmelon space list | show | search
openmelon space decision | feedback
openmelon search "<query>"                 tag:foo · kind:character · -negative · "phrase"
openmelon setup                            Re-run the auth wizard
openmelon resume [<id>]                    List or load a prior session
openmelon -p "<intent>"                    Headless one-shot

Bash tool

The agent can run shell commands via a bash tool. Every call is gated:

strict     Every command needs approval. Judge LLM only auto-blocks destructive ones. (default)
auto       Judge LLM auto-runs read-only inspection; writes prompt; destructive blocked.
trusted    Run anything without prompting. Use for throwaway projects only.

The approval modal offers three choices: yes, yes-and-always-allow-this-binary-for-the-session, no. Mode persists to project.json:settings.bash_permission_mode. Switch via /settings.

Sessions

Every TUI run records the transcript and any generated artifacts under <project>/.openmelon/sessions/<id>/. After exit:

session saved at /path/to/.openmelon/sessions/20260506-101203-a1b2c3d4
to resume:    openmelon resume 20260506-101203-a1b2c3d4

openmelon resume lists recent sessions; openmelon resume <id> loads one into a fresh TUI with the prior conversation as context. The continuation runs in a new session directory; the original is immutable.

How it works

Inside a project, the agent runs a tool loop. The model sees the project context plus a tool registry:

list_characters / get_character    pull people from the registry
list_references / get_reference    pull scenes, lighting, composition refs
list_spaces / get_context_packet   pull durable creative-space context
record_decision / record_feedback  persist confirmed choices + strategy signals
create_episode / register_asset    record production units + reusable assets
search                             tag + substring grep across libraries
read_file                          read any file under the project workdir
compile_skill                      compile a skillplus package
generate_image (refs[])            image model with optional anchor images
save_artifact                      promote a session image to a final artifact
bash                               shell, gated by the permission mode
finish                             end the loop with a summary

Search is grep, not vectors. Each character / reference has a one-line description plus 1–10 kebab-case tags in a .search file. The next core architecture is creative continuity: model-led creative spaces with durable canon, episodes, assets, retrieval, feedback, and planning. See docs/creative-continuity.md.

openmelon -p "<intent>" runs the same stack headless — useful for scripts and sub-agent integration.

Layout

~/.openmelon/
  config.json                      defaults + trusted_dirs
  credentials.json                 mode 0600, per-provider api keys
  projects.json                    project id → workdir registry

<project>/.openmelon/
  project.json                     name, persona, defaults, settings
  credentials.json                 mode 0600, per-project key overrides
  .gitignore                       excludes credentials.json + sessions/
  characters/<slug>/               character.json + .search + portraits
  references/<slug>/               reference.json + .search + image
  materials/<sha-prefix>/          hash-addressed raw inputs
  spaces/<slug>/                   creative continuity state
  sessions/<ts>-<rnd>/             messages.jsonl, meta.json, generated images
  artifacts/<slug>/<ts>/           final outputs from save_artifact

project.json and global ~/.openmelon/config.json can also carry provider connection settings. Project values win over global values, then credentials.json, then environment variables:

{
  "defaults": {
    "llm_provider": "openai",
    "llm_model": "gpt-5.5",
    "image_provider": "openrouter",
    "image_model": "openai/gpt-5.4-image-2"
  },
  "providers": {
    "openai": {
      "api_key": "sk-...",
      "base_url": "https://api.openai.com"
    },
    "openrouter": {
      "api_key": "sk-or-...",
      "base_url": "https://openrouter.ai/api"
    },
    "anthropic": {
      "api_key": "sk-ant-...",
      "base_url": "https://api.anthropic.com"
    }
  }
}

Integrations

Skill files for Claude Code and Cursor are in examples/integrations/. They shell to openmelon -p "$intent".

License

Apache 2.0.

Friendly Links

• LINUX DO — This open-source project recognizes and links to the LINUX DO community.